BP Sues Transocean

BP has filed a lawsuit against Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico last year, as well as parts manufacturer Cameron International. BP is suing these two companies for $40 million over their role in the tragic offshore accident that killed 11 workers.

According to BP, Transocean was partly responsible for the explosion because the company missed several important signs that could have prevented the explosion. According to BP, Transocean is the responsible party under the Oil Pollution Act, and is therefore liable to address some of the damage that occurred after the explosion.
BP is also suing Cameron International, the company that manufactured the blowout preventer that is being blamed for the explosion. A technical investigation into the tragedy earlier this year, had pointed out that the blowout preventer failed to prevent the explosion like it was designed to. According to BP, a technical investigation by a presidential commission as well as an internal investigation by the company had revealed that the oil-rig explosion was mainly the result of blowout preventer failure.

BPs lawsuit against Transocean coincides with a report by the US Coast Guard that places much of the blame for the explosion on Transocean’s shoulders. According to the report, personnel at Transocean were not trained to deal with a disaster of this magnitude. Transocean also missed several critical signs and alarms that could have possibly prevented the explosion. BP will be relying on the Coast Guard report as it sues Transocean over the offshore accident.